Mr. Saturday Night (1992)

The life of Buddy Young, a comic legend in flashbacks but an old man looking for work in the present.

Director:

Billy Crystal

Writers:

Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz

Stars:

Billy Crystal, David Paymer, Julie Warner

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Crystal	...	Buddy Young Jr.
David Paymer	...	Stan
Julie Warner	...	Elaine
Helen Hunt	...	Annie Wells
Mary Mara	...	Susan
Jerry Orbach	...	Phil Gussman
Ron Silver	...	Larry Meyerson
Sage Allen	...	Mom
Jason Marsden	...	Buddy - Age 15
Michael Weiner	...	Stan - Age 18
Larry Gelman	...	Mr. Gimbel
Kay Freeman	...	Mrs. Gimbel
Howard Mann	...	Stage Manager
Julius Branca	...	Stage Manager
Liz Georges	...	Script Girl

Storyline

Buddy Young was the comic's comic, beloved by everyone. Now, playing to miniscule crowds in nursing homes, it seems like everybody but Buddy realizes that he should retire. As Buddy looks for work in show business, he realizes that the rest of the world has forgotten the golden days of Buddy Young, and that there just may not be room in the business for an old comic like himself.

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Plot Keywords:

written and directed by cast member | new york city | talent agent | stand up comedy | audition | 

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Taglines:

He loved his family. He loved his friends. But he loved his audience even more.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der letzte Komödiant - Mr. Saturday Night

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$43,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$13,351,357

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment,Face Productions,New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Marisa Tomei auditioned for the part of Buddy's wife, Elaine, but was deemed too young for the role. Tomei later played Billy Crystal's daughter in Parental Guidance (2012).

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Goofs

Guests at a Borscht Belt resort, circa 1950, dance to the tune "Hey There" four years before the song was written for The Pajama Game.

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Quotes

Buddy Young, Jr.: For me, my family was like, uh, Dances With Jews. Oh sure, we had names for our relatives like they had in that movie.
Reporter: What do you mean?
Buddy Young, Jr.: Well, we had "Eats With His Hands," "Spits When He Talks," "Makes Noise When He Bends," "Sweats Like a Pig," "Whines In a Cab," "Never Buys Retail," "Shaves His Back."

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Billy Crystal/Jeb Bush/Courtney Barnett (2015)

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Soundtracks

Amateur Night Tango
By Marc Shaiman and Lester Wilson

User Reviews

Mr. Show Biz!

This is a great movie! Crystal is deep without being annoying. This movie has a wholeness about it lacking in so many other works. I must admit, I just watched this movie almost 15 years after it's debut because I thought it was Billy doing stand-up. I had no idea the involved story and how deeply touching it would be.

Those who were disappointed in this film went into it looking for a comedy the likes of Eddie Murphy or someone else. So did I...but how could the story not change attitudes and opinions? To each their own.

I could see how this movie had difficulty finding an audience. It paralleled Crytal's life too much and many like myself like Billy, but maybe not enough to see him do Live stand-up. He never quite held that arena strongly. Also, he was still riding on the 'When Harry Met Sally' steam, which was in large part a chick movie (again, rich with dialogue and opposite of the Stallone action hero us guys seems to like). So, reluctance to see Crystal in his own stand-up movie was not for me.

This movie is really a classic and will last the test of time because of the story between two brothers.